Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon Communications

Ham Volunteer Registration Online Link – Click here

The Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon was organized to be a Run To Remember for those who died, those who survived, and those whose lives were changed forever, in the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in 1995.  It is usually held on the last Sunday of April each year. This year it will be April 27th and 28th, 2024.

110 amateur radio operators are needed this year to cover the entire course with public service communications. We have operators that operate in all of these locations:

  • shadowing the race director at the Start and Finish lines
  • operators at each of 4 relay locations
  • at each of the 19 medical tents on the course
  • net control operators
  • SAG vehicles
  • water and ice trucks
  • the incident command trailer
  • in the MASH medical tent at the finish line
  • in the lead vehicle for the full and half marathons
  • tail-end Charlie following the last runner
  • operators at the “kids’ corral” at the end of the kids’ race
  • radio observers along the “last mile”
  • operators at the Regional Emergency Operations Center in OKC
  • running in the race
  • and any other assignments that may be needed.

Volunteer registration is online, and you can sign up today. Be a part of this amateur radio community event. This will assign you to the Public Services Communications team.

This URL will take you directly to the PSC registration page.

Please read the header info on the site.  We all will have a background check done as part of the registration.

Please fill out all the boxes.

Please send any special needs and/or comments to [email protected].

Sunday race day usually begins at about 0600 with an on-site check-in, and most operators should be released by 1400.  It is a very rewarding experience to see and assist runners from all over the world.

A pre-brief meeting will be held on April 22nd at the OKC Fire Training Center, 820 N Portland, Oklahoma City, 73107, where T-shirts, credential packets (for those in the downtown area), frequency cards, and other necessary information are dispersed.

Most radio operators need a good mobile or base unit with an external antenna. An HT with an external antenna, spare battery packs, or an external power supply may also work. Please visit your assigned location and test your radios with the repeaters used. Stay flexible and able to adapt to course changes and changes in the weather (hot, cold, rain, hail, wind, etc.) Follow the Marathon Communications Plan created by the Public Safety Communications chair.

There is a NO WEAPONS policy – open or concealed again this year for any part of the marathon. If you do not feel you cannot abide by the No Weapons policy along any part of the course or on any OKC MM property, then please DO NOT volunteer.

This is the main fundraiser that supports the Oklahoma National Memorial and Museum.  It is usually about 1 million dollars each year. There are about 25,000 entrants each year.

The in-kind contribution of the amateur radio community is over $65,000 in volunteer time and equipment each year.

Sign up today and get in on the fun!